System to produce hydrogen gas fuel

ABSTRACT

A process for producing hydrogen gas fuel from water source or waste water source or a combination thereof, which includes the steps of generating electrical power by at least an electrical power supplying means or from a means to supply electrical power, storing the electrical power in at least an electrical power storage means, supplying electricity for pumping the from the water source or waste water source or a combination thereof to a hydrogen fuel electrolyzer while level of the water source or waste water source or a combination thereof within the electrolyzer and pump are controlled, and electrolyzing the water source or waste water source or a combination thereof in the presence of a catalyst solution such as potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide or ethanoic acid, having 2% to 6% v/v% (or any other unit that is appropriate) for a period of at least 0.03 hours to 60 hours to produce hydrogen gas fuel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Divisional of co-pending application Ser. No.12/765,117, filed on Apr. 22, 2010, for which priority is claimed under35 U.S.C. § 120; and this application claims priority of Application No.PI 2010000766, filed in Malaysia on Feb. 22, 2010 under 35 U.S.C. §119,the entire contents of all of which are hereby incorporated byreference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system to produce hydrogen gas fuel.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Fossil fuel such as diesel and petrol that are drawn from finiteresources are non renewable and is becoming more expensive andunaffordable besides polluting the environment. There has been aconstant increase in oil price due to depletion of fossil fuel resourcesand increase in energy demand (due to intensive industrialization,population and automotive activities). Furthermore fossil fuel burnsincompletely thus contributes to emission of greenhouse gasses, globalwarming and other detrimental environmental problems.

Therefore a cheaper, cleaner, sustainable and environmental friendlyfuel source is urgently needed.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention provides a system to produce hydrogengas fuel from water source or waste water source or a combinationthereof, wherein the system includes at least an electrical powersupplying means, at least an electrical power storage means, at least apumping means, at least a hydrogen fuel electrolyzer, at least adistribution pipeline, at least a flash back retarder and at least agenerator to produce electricity characterized in that the electrolyzerincludes at least a sewage level controller, at least a anode terminal,at least a cathode terminal, at least a sewage level, at least a safetyvalve, at least a pressure gauge, at least a temperature gauge, at leasta gas exit valve, at least a sludge drain out valve and at least aoutlet valve.

Further provided is a system for producing hydrogen gas fuel from watersource or waste water source or a combination thereof to supplement aninternal combustion engine wherein the system includes at least ahydrogen fuel electrolyzer, at least an electrical power storage means,at least a air intake chamber in the engine, at least an ignition switchand at least a relay.

Also provided is an electrolyzer for producing hydrogen gas fuel fromwater source or waste water source or a combination thereof, theelectrolyzer includes at least a sewage level controller, at least ananode terminal, at least a cathode terminal, at least a sewage level, atleast a safety valve, at least a pressure gauge, at least a temperaturegauge, at least a gas exit valve, at least a sludge drain out valve andat least a outlet valve.

Last but not least, the present invention also provides a process forproducing hydrogen gas fuel from water source or waste water source or acombination thereof, wherein the process includes the steps ofgenerating electrical power by at least an electrical power supplyingmeans or from a means to supply electrical power, storing the electricalpower in at least an electrical power storage means, supplyingelectricity for pumping the from the water source or waste water sourceor a combination thereof to a hydrogen fuel electrolyzer while level ofthe water source or waste water source or a combination thereof withinthe electrolyzer and pump are controlled and electrolyzing the watersource or waste water source or a combination thereof in the presence ofa catalyst solution such as potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide orethanoic acid, having 2% to 6% v/v% (or any other unit that isappropriate) for a period of at least 0.03 hours to 60 hours to producehydrogen gas fuel.

The present invention consists of several features and a combination ofparts hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the accompanyingdescription and drawings, it being understood that various changes inthe details may be made without departing from the scope of theinvention or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a system to produce hydrogen gasfuel installed to a domestic house according to the preferredembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed view the system;

FIG. 3 illustrates a detailed schematic view of the system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention relates to a system to produce hydrogen gas fuel.Hereinafter, this specification will describe the present inventionaccording to preferred embodiment. However, it is to be understood thatlimiting the description to the preferred embodiment is merely tofacilitate discussion of the present invention and it is envisioned thatthose skilled in the art may devise various modifications andequivalents without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Hydrogen is the ideal alternative for future fuel as it burnscompletely, contains high flammability and produces no greenhouse gasbut water. Naturally hydrogen presents in the form of water moleculewith combination of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom, thereforehydrogen gas must be generated by mean of physical or chemical processsuch as electrolysis.

Conventionally hydrogen is electrolyzed by high energy input that isderived from hydrocarbon fuel therefore it becomes inefficient anduneconomic. To overcome this issue, the present invention produceshydrogen using higher technological efficiency and therefore willsignificantly reduce our dependability on fossil fuel, preserve theenvironmental quality and as well as able to push forward the greentechnology to greater height.

Essentially, the present invention generates hydrogen from water sourcessuch as rain water, river water, seawater, tapwater, sewage and leachateby using solar energy and wind turbine assembly as energy providers.

This invention primarily employed photovoltaic collectors whichgenerates electricity and stores the obtained electrical power inbatteries. However, it is envisaged that other electrical powersupplying means and other electrical power storage means can be usedinstead of the photovoltaic collector and batteries, respectively. Thebatteries which act as the energy storing devices supplies relativelyinexpensive electrical energy for the system to generate hydrogen gasfuel through enhanced electrolysis process.

In general there are numerous processes that can be employed toelectrolyze and separate a water molecule into its elemental hydrogenand oxygen elements such as the electrolysis process. However thehydrogen and oxygen generated through this conventional electrolysis aregenerally produced in inefficient manner and involved with problems suchas requirement of high electrical power (more than 500 watt), costlyelectrolytic cells, electrode cell tends to heat-up, the produced gasneed to be immediately transferred to a pressurized storage, lowhydrogen/oxygen gas production, boiling water and electrode cell formsgas bubbles that acts as electrical insulators that subsequently reducethe cell functionality. Thus, this newly innovative system has beendesigned and developed in order to overcome the above mentionedproblems. The most inventive step in this invention is its ability togenerate hydrogen gas fuel at lower voltage source (12 V), at ambientpressure (14.2 psi) and at a controllable amount of fuel gas in order toprovide an optimal source of fuel. A relatively stable hydrogen gasproduction (0.6 LPM to 2.2 LPM) at a modest power input (12-180 watt)and in the range of 1 A to 15 A has been successfully generatinghydrogen gas fuel through this enhanced electrolysis process.

The generated hydrogen gas could be used as potential fuel for fuellingincinerator, internal combustion engine, thermal electric powergeneration, furnaces, heaters and cooking stoves. In particular, littleif any polluted toxic carbon dioxide and water vapour is the exhaustproducts from hydrogen fuel combustion.

Furthermore this invention is not only capable of producing hydrogen gasfrom water sources but also concurrently able to treat the wastewatersuch as sewage and leachate by increasing the wastewater's quality suchas carbon oxygen demand (COD), suspended solids and biochemical oxygendemand (BOD₅).

Apart of that such as application for the internal combustion engine,the generated hydrogen gas could also act as supplement fuel in additionto hydrocarbon fuel, thus subsequently would save petrol consumption upto 35% and increase mileage.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of the system (4) installed to adomestic house. Sewage is transferred from sewerage pipe to the system(4) by pump (3). Electrical power for pumping and supporting the systemoperation is supplied by batteries (2) that are charged by photovoltaicsolar panel (1) and/or from other means to supply electrical power suchas the wind turbine assembly (9).

The generated hydrogen gas is distributed through pipeline (5) tokitchen stove or cooker (7) and/or to power generator (8) that generateselectricity from hydrogen gas. A flash back retarder (6) is installed assafety device that will hinder any flash back of hydrogen fuel to thesystem (4).

For the purpose of elucidation, as referring to FIG. 1, the system (4)is installed to a domestic house whereby the house's sewerage lineprovides the sewage to the system (4) by a mechanical pump (3). Thesystem (4) electrolyzed the sewage through enhanced electrolysis processand produces the hydrogen gas fuel based on the demand. The producedhydrogen gas fuel is then distributed via pipeline (5) to cooker orstove in the house's kitchen (7). The hydrogen gas is also madeavailable to electrical generator (8) should the owner want to generateelectricity from hydrogen gas. A flash back retarder (6) is alsoinstalled in the pipeline (5) as a safety device.

The electrical power for the above operation is drawn from thephotovoltaic collectors (1) or wind turbine (9) which stored theelectricity in batteries (2). Other water or wastewater sources that aregenerated from household activities may also be used as water source forhydrogen gas fuel generation. In this particular case sewage sample istaken as a source of water for electrolysis since the system (4) may notonly generate hydrogen gas fuel but also could treat and increase thesewage effluent quality.

FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed view of another embodiment of a system(20) for producing hydrogen gas fuel which comprises sewage levelcontroller (11), anode terminal (12), cathode terminal (13), sewagelevel (14), safety valve (15), pressure gauge (16), temperature gauge(17), gas exit valve (18), sludge drain out valve (19), the reactor (20)and outlet valve (21).

Referring to FIG. 2, in the present invention, the production process ofhydrogen gas comprises the steps of subjecting the sewage into thesystem (20) from sewerage line (10). The volume of the system (20) canbe scaled up or down depending on the requirement of applications.

The level of sewage (14) within the system (20) is controlled by abuoyant water level controller (11) which also controls the switchon/off of mechanical pump (3). In particular, the reaction chambercomprises two electrodes of selected metals nested inside each other.The electrodes are anode (12) and cathode (13) terminals. The anode andcathode terminals are made from stainless steel 316, platinum oraluminium. A low voltage source (12 V to 14 V) which generates electriccurrent (1 ampere to 15 amperes) that tunnels through the sewage orwater sample between the tips of electrodes is constantly supplied uponrequirement. The electrolysis process dissociates (break down) thenearby water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen atoms and the resultinghydrogen and oxygen gasses molecules cool and bubble up to the surfacein the surrounding water where they are delivered to pipeline (5)through gas exit valve (18). A relatively stable hydrogen gas fuelproduction (0.6 LPM to 2.2 LPM) at a modest power input (12 watt to 180watt) represents the most advantages offered by the system (20).

A pressure gauge (16) is installed in order to monitor and maintain theoperating pressure to be around 14.2 psi to 25 psi. A temperature gauge(17) is installed so as to monitor the operating temperature so that thesystem's temperature is not exceeding 66° C. Safety valve (15) isinstalled to overcome the potential of back pressure due to inefficientdistribution of hydrogen gas. The safety valve (15) is connected withsubmerged tubing under the sewage level (14).

The -treated sewage can be discharged to storm water drain throughoutlet valve (21) before it goes to the public water way or river onlyafter being electrolyzed for at least 3.0 hours. Furthermore the sludgeof electrolyzed sewage can be drawn out from the system (20) throughdrain out valve (19) and can be further used as potential fertilizer.

As shown in FIG. 2, sewage is employed as the source of water.Operational condition and process were performed as mentioned in thedetailed description section. The sewage has COD of 842 ppm, suspendedsolids measured as 917 ppm and BOD₅ of 324 ppm. Subsequently after 3.0hours of electrolyzing the sewage at 0.8 LPM to 1.32 LPM hydrogen gasproduction rate the sewage was measured to have COD of 93 ppm, suspendedsolids of 77 ppm and BOD₅ of 39 ppm. This example showed that thepresent invention is not only capable of producing satisfactory hydrogengas but also able to treat sewage effluent up to Standards B ofregulations stipulated by the Malaysian Department of Environment (DOE).

Synthetic gas fuel from renewable source such as water is a solution toreduce oil consumption and carbon dioxide emissions without the need formodifications of automobile existing infrastructure. In conjunction, ina preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided amethod incorporating the advantages of synthesized hydrogen gas fuelfrom any water sources combined with petrol combustion thus eventuallyresulting in automotive engine or car's engine oil that consumes lesserhydrocarbon and cleaner emission.

The use a catalyst solution such as such as potassium hydroxide, sodiumhydroxide or ethanoic acid, having 2% to 6% v/v% (or any other unit thatis appropriate) for a period of at least 0.03 hours to 60 hours enhancesthe electrolysis process.

Therefore it could generate a satisfactorily volume of hydrogen gas atlower electrical energy (lower than 180 watt) compared to conventionalelectrolysis which requires greater electrical energy (more than 500watt) for the same amount of hydrogen volume. A range of 5% to 20% ofcatalyst solution is used during the enhanced electrolysis process.

FIG. 3 illustrates a detailed schematic view of another embodiment of ahydrogen fuel electrolyzer (22) installed in a conventional combustionengine which comprises an automobile battery (23) such as a car battery,an automobile engine (24) such as a car engine, ignition switch (25) andrelay (26). The electrolyzer (22) is connected to a battery (23) whichsupplies electrical power and controlled by the ignition switch (25) andrelay (26) for safety purposes.

As referred to in FIG. 3, a hydrogen hybrid system which comprises theelectrolyzer (22) has been developed to sustainably produce a cleanrenewable alternative fuel (oxyhydrogen=a mixture of hydrogen and oxygengases) that is technologically derived from any water sources such astap water or river water or rain water or lake water or wastewater. Theelectrolyzer (22) splits water molecules (H₂O) into hydrogen and oxygengases through enhanced electrolyzing process to supplement an ordinaryinternal combustion engine (to the air-uptake chamber) (24) such aspetrol and diesel which then will be ignited in the combustion chamber,subsequently save petrol consumption (up to 35%), increase fuel mileage,increase horse power (as hydrogen is 4 times more combustible thanpetrol fuel) and decreases hazardous emissions.

The most inventive step in this invention is its ability to generate acost effective alternative fuel gas at a low voltage source (12 V), atambient pressure (14.2 psi) and at a controllable amount of hydrogenfuel gas (on demand) which provides a considerable amount of heat orkinetic energy that enables vehicle to travel more economically (reducethe amount of petrol fuel required over a given distance). A relativelystable fuel gas production is expected (0.6 LPM to 2.2 LPM liters ofoxy-hydrogen) at a modest power input (12 watt to 180 watt) whichproduces CO emission that is 20% lower than the conventional combustionengine, represent the most advantages offered by the system (22), whichcomprises reaction chamber two electrodes of selected metals nestedinside each other.

It is noted that the quality of the electrolyzed wastewater particularlysewage can be improved during at least 3 hours of electrolysis processwherein it is observed that there is COD reduction up to 88%, suspendedsolids removal up to 91% and BOD₅ removal up to 87%.

1. A process for producing hydrogen gas fuel from water source or wastewater source or a combination thereof, wherein the process includes thesteps of: (a) generating electrical power by at least an electricalpower supplying means or from a means to supply electrical power; (b)storing the electrical power in at least an electrical power storagemeans; (c) supplying electricity for pumping the from the water sourceor waste water source or a combination thereof to a hydrogen fuelelectrolyzer while level of the water source or waste water source or acombination thereof within the electrolyzer and pump are controlled, and(d) electrolyzing the water source or waste water source or acombination thereof in the presence of a catalyst solution such aspotassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide or ethanoic acid, having 2% to 6%v/v% (or any other unit that is appropriate) for a period of at least0.03 hours to 60 hours to produce hydrogen gas fuel.
 2. The process asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the hydrogen gas fuel is supplied tointended users via pipeline distribution.
 3. The process as claimed inclaim 2, wherein the pipeline is provided with a flash back retarder. 4.The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the level of the water sourceor waste water source or a combination thereof within the electrolyzerand pump are controlled by a buoyant water level controller .
 5. Theprocess as claimed in claim 1, wherein the catalyst solution is sodiumhydroxide or potassium hydroxide or ethanoic acid.
 6. The process asclaimed in claim 1, wherein quality of the electrolyzed wastewaterparticularly sewage can be improved during at least 3 hours ofelectrolysis process wherein it is observed that there is COD reductionup to 88%, suspended solids removal up to 91% and BOD₅ removal up to87%.